The Portland daily press., 1887-04-08
CRAvEs'S STORY.
He Claims that He shot Hill In Self
Defence.

To reporter of the San Francisco Alta
Calvin Graves, now under arrest in San
Francisco for the shooting of Warden Hill,
made the following statement;
my name is Calvin p. Graves. James
Mcfarland and myself hired a horse and ex-
press wagon in the city of Ellsworth, Maine,
and started to hunt We went to Cherryfeld,
stopped there and got dinner. While there
we got talking about the deer law. The
game law in Maine reads, as / recollect il,
that no man shall kill but one moose be-
tween October 1st and January 1st, and he
shall kill but two caribou and three deer be-
tween those dates. A man named Shoffie
said that the wardens would kill my dog
We replied that we had the dog to tree part
ridges and not to hunt deer. He said the
wardens had thrown poison the whole length
Of the road to poison dogs. We started in
the morning for Fletcher's brook, and we
got there at about half-past two O'Clock in
the afternoon. We were told again by sew
eral persons that the wardens would kill the
dog. We spent a couple of days in hunting.
A young man named McReavey told us that
the wardens were staying at his uncIe's
house, and that they would kill the dog,
which was very valuable-the best in the
State. While we were talking, one Of the
wardens, Niles, l believe, came with his
team, and then the other warden, Hill, came
to our camp. Hill said, You havelgOt dog,
haven't you?' Mcfarland said Yes and
Hill replied, You have no right here, with
we had right to take dog anywhere in the
United States, so long as we did not hunt
deerr, er,,, a., 80 t,.d r, ~ -, :, a.
Hill and Niles went into the cellar and Me-
Farland said to me we had better 60 home,
as one Of tine wardens had said he would
have the dog or blood. They came up stairs
and we began to pack up our things to leave.
We had got everything out except the dog
and two guns. My gun stood in the corner
of room in the camp. My dog was hitehed to
seat. united him and hitched him to the side
OF the building. When was going into the
room Hill said to Niles, L have seen his
belt, and there was nothing in it, / walked
back into the room and got the gun, and
went to where the dog was hitched Nc
Farland united the dog and brought him to
the wagon. When he went out he asked me
to take his gun. AS was going out / took
the cartridges out of my gun and took Macs
gun. When got to the wagon / took the
cartridges out of his gun and put it into the
wagon. tried to put the shells had taken
out into my pocket, but could not get them
IN as had mittens on, and | laid the shells
Farland, We want that dog and McFar-
land took the dog into the wagon.
mcfarland said to Hill: i forbid you to
shoot l was standing then back of the
wagon and l said; Gentlemen, this dog
belongs to me and you can't get him. Niles
pulled his coat off and said to me, Damn
you and the dog. He pointed the gun di-
rectly at my head; the gun missed fire
whatever you call it. slipped she'll into
my own gun and shot and killed him. /
then swung the gun around and saw Hill
with revolver drawn on me. | .slipped
another shell into the gun and fired, killing
Hill. Niles fell dead with the rifle cooked in
his hand. may be hung OF imprisoned for
life. but acted in self-defenee."
In answer to the reporters question.
Graves said he would have given himself
up at the time of the killing, but ii was NOT
In the county, and he was afraid of beinE
lynehed. He said he came direct to Califor.
mia from Maine, and IL was his Intention 10
give himself up in about a week.